Ypsilanti farmers' markets reach out to those in need

Jordan Miller | The Ann Arbor Newsrenda Jo Domosle, of Brenda Jo's Organic Foods, sells meat, cheese and other local products at the Ypsilanti Downtown Farmers' Market on Tuesday. Domosle said that 10 percent of her business comes from people using food assistance.

Peter di Lorenzi, Family Nutrition Program instructor for the Michigan State University Extension, was giving a presentation on healthy eating and simple cooking tips. But he also was there to explain to many of the audience members how to use their food assistance coupons to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the market.

"It's real helpful," said Ypsilanti resident Jessica Bailey, who was there as a result of a federally funded program called Project Fresh, which provides vouchers for fresh produce to low-income mothers in the Women, Infants, and Children - WIC - program. "You get a nice quality and quantity. ... Usually we just get milk, juice, cereal and beans, but we don't get fruit."

Market manager Rachel Chadderdon said organizers have focused their efforts on appealing to a low-income demographic.

"I think we're really targeting our marketing to populations that aren't usually targeted by farmers' markets," Chadderdon said. "We're located downtown, really close to subsidized housing areas. ... They're a really good cross-section of the community and I think that's really appealing to a lot of people."

Jordan Miller | The Ann Arbor NewsLelia Mackall, a vendor at the Ypsilanti Downtown Farmers' Market since it opened in 2006, said her business there has been steadily increasing, especially with young people: "A lot of young people who never had no clue what a fresh vegetable was."

Now in its third season, the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market, which is located in the Key Bank parking lot on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Hamilton Street, is experiencing unprecedented growth. In the two previous seasons, typical attendance was approximately 450 customers on a good day, according to Chadderdon, who also works for Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti healthy food-focused nonprofit. This year, the July 15 market day had 763 customers.

The downtown market was the third farmers' market in the state to begin accepting Electronic Benefit Transfer food assistance cards. Starting this summer, the market received a grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health to promote EBT use by offering one free "Market Dollar" token for every EBT dollar spent, up to $5 per week, during the month of July.

Several of the vendors said that as many as 50 percent of their customers use EBT. Brenda Jo Domosle, who was selling organically raised meat and cheese, said her business is probably 10 percent EBT.

"I think they just want a nice quality meat," she said. "People just want to make sure they're feeding their children good stuff."

The downtown market was founded in 2006 as a joint effort between Growing Hope, the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, the Michigan State University Extension Service, and the Ypsilanti Food Co-op.

The Ypsilanti Depot Town Farmer's Market, which has operated in Ypsilanti for 30 years, accepts EBT as well. That market averages approximately 100 customers per market day, according to Depot Town market manager Nancy Corfman, who estimates that 5 percent of the sales come from EBT.

"Growing Hope's mission is to improve people's lives through gardening and healthy food access," Chadderdon said. "It's really just an extension of that mission to find the population most in need of healthy food access and try to bring it to them."

To market ...

• What: Ypsilanti Downtown Farmers' Market.

• Where: Key Bank Building parking lot at the corner of West Michigan Avenue and Hamilton Street.

In an effort to increase their reach in the community, the market's managing partners have recruited Ypsilanti residents to display yard signs promoting the market. They also enlisted Ann Arbor-based Food Gatherer's, a nonprofit food distribution organization, to place information about using EBT at the Downtown Market into their food distribution bags.

Last year the market also introduced Senior Project Fresh, a similar program aimed toward senior citizens. Last summer, low-income seniors redeemed $3,000 worth of coupons for fresh produce at the market. In an effort to give seniors more access to the food that the market provides, they offer free bicycle delivery and provide volunteers to help seniors cross the street and carry groceries home, according to Chadderdon.